Letter: Thank you, Ray Evans

On Nov. 18, the Anderson County Commission gave the final local approval for the TIF (tax increment financing) funding plan for the Oak Ridge Mall redevelopment.

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Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

Writer

Posted Nov. 27, 2013 at 5:42 PM

Posted Nov. 27, 2013 at 5:42 PM

To the Editor:

On Nov. 18, the Anderson County Commission gave the final local approval for the TIF (tax increment financing) funding plan for the Oak Ridge Mall redevelopment. I feel that we owe a big “thank you” to Ray Evans for his efforts as a consultant to the city manager to facilitate all the negotiations required to make this complicated project happen are “legion.”

We should also thank City Manager Watson for hiring Ray for this important job. There were the usual nay-sayers in hiring Ray because the contract was somewhat general in nature so that Ray could respond to a wide range of activities. He first worked on the South Illinois development, then the Kroger Marketplace while beginning work with Croslands on the Mall project. So he has been “very busy” juggling all these balls.

Of course, Ray isn’t the only one we should thank for all these successful retail developments. The Oak Ridge Chamber’s Parker Hardy has been very active in coordinating the many contacts involved, plus the city’s staff has also been very involved in the approval process.

Therefore I am glad that Mr. Evans resigned from City Council years ago and was available for his current job. Ray, keep up the good work!